Growing in Christ

Memory Text: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15, NKJV).

Key Thought: Christ’s victory on the cross defines the scope of the victory into which the Christian may grow.

The amendment to the church’s fundamental beliefs, voted at the fifty-eight General Conference Session (in 2005), was titled Growing in Christ.
When the statement is analyzed, the following significant points become
evident Jesus has defeated satanic powers and evil forces; through
Christ, victory over these powers, including their past manifestations
in a person's life, is possible; and finally, there are conditions in
order for these victories to be realized in a person’s experience.

These
points will occupy our attention for the next three studies. This week
we will be looking at the nature of the victory that Christ won on the
cross. By His victory − not only over sin, but over every other force
that works against humanity and God’s creation − Christ has achieved
salvation for us.

As we seek to understand what Christ has
accomplished in our behalf, we will be better prepared to understand
what we can have in our lives now. His victory can be our victory if we
claim it for ourselves, because, no matter what Jesus has done for us,
we must choose to accept it. Victory is not automatically given to
anyone.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 3.

SUNDAYOctober 28

The Redemption

Christianity
is a religion of redemption, in which people are saved from the
devastation of sin through what someone else − in this case, Jesus −
has done for them. Thus, the Christian religion may be distinguished
from a religion of law, where one may rectify his or her doom by one’s
own efforts at doing good works. We need this redemption because,
according to the Bible, people without Christ are enslaved to sin (John 8:34) and under a death sentence (Rom. 6:23).
They cannot free themselves from these two conditions. The sinner’s
plight requires outside intervention, and this intervention comes at a
price. As the New Testament so clearly teaches, that price was the
death of Jesus on the cross.

From
the New Testament’s point of view, Christ’s redemptive death is
sacrificial and substitutionary. He took our place, sacrificing Himself
in our behalf, suffering our fate for us so that we don't have to
suffer it ourselves. Though some reject this idea because they don't
like the notion of someone suffering in place of another (especially in
the place of someone who is guilty), that’s the heart and soul of the
gospel message. When the New Testament speaks of redemption, then,
unless our linguistics are at fault, it means that Christ has paid the
price of our redemption. To the extent that the price paid must be
adequate for the purchase in question this indicates an equivalence, a
substitution. − Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdman Publishing Co., 1965), p. 61.

Think
of some things in your own life that you find are impossible to change,
things that you are absolutely helpless to do anything about. In the
same way, we are absolutely helpless to save ourselves. How does this
realization help us to better understand what Christ did for us on the
cross? More important, how should this amazing truth of redemption
impact our lives?

MONDAYOctober 29

Slaves Set Free

When
we understand redemption as freedom from a form of enslavement that
required external assistance, we may conclude that sinful humanity is
bound by a power or influence stronger than itself. The question that
needs to be answered is, by what power or agency has sinful humanity
been so bound?

Study
Romans 6:12-23. Notice that in verses 18, 20, and 22, Paul speaks about
freedom. What is the context of this freedom? What is Paul talking
about here?

Think
about what Paul says in the above verses along with what he says in
Romans 6:1-11. Paul talks about what happens in Christian baptism. Here
he sets forth some things that were to have died with Christ in
baptism. Having spelled these out, Paul challenges the Christian, who
has been united with Christ, to manifest the lordship of Christ, who
has freed him/her from the power of sin.

The bottom
line here is that, according to Paul, no matter how corrupted our
nature has been by sin, through Christ we can be free from its
enslaving power. Who hasn't seen just how devastating this kind of
slavery can be? Who hasn't seen lives ruined by sin? Who hasn't
struggled with the power of sin in their own lives? It is, by far, the
greatest foe that we as human beings will ever face.

What
makes it so bad is that it’s a slavery not imposed solely from without;
rather, it’s one that comes from within us. How are we freed from a
slavery, a bondage, that originates in us, even in our very nature?

The
answer, as we've seen in the above verses, comes only from the power of
Jesus, who won the victory for us and who offers us the power to
overcome. Through Christ, we are not only forgiven our sins, we are to
be dead to them, and we are freed from them. They no longer have to
dominate us. These are amazing promises, powerful promises, promises
that all who profess the name of Christ must claim for themselves.

What has your own experience been with the
enslaving and brutal power of sin? How can you learn to better grasp
hold of the wonderful promises of freedom that have been offered to us
in Jesus?

TUESDAY October 30

Principalities and Powers: Part 1

The
Bible pictures our world as being under the dominion of evil forces
seeking to control and to ultimately destroy us. The great controversy
is, of course, the result of the Lord’s work against these powers. The
great news is that, after the Cross, victory against them is assured,
even though the battle continues to rage. The conflict is dramatic,
cosmic, and fierce, but the victory belongs to God, a victory in which
we can share by faith.

Study the following texts: 1 John 3:8, 5:19, John 12:31, 16:11, Eph. 6:12, Col. 1:16, 2:15, Rom. 8:38-39. What do these reveal to us about the reality of this battle? What great hope and promises are found in them for us?

Many
people of the twenty-first century world function on the basis of a
scientific worldview alone. This means that things are examined mainly
from a naturalistic perspective, the only perspective that many believe
to be valid. For these people, a world populated with evil forces and
dominated by demonic hostile powers is predominantly viewed as a
holdover from an age of superstition and ignorance. In contrast, the
Bible presents, as part of the reality of our world, an array of
hostile forces comprising demonic principalities and powers. Though the
biblical worldview incorporates naturalistic and scientific concepts,
it certainly doesn't base all understanding of reality on them. The
Bible’s view of the world is large enough to encompass both natural and
supernatural worldviews.

In Romans 8:38, for instance, the word translated as principalities is the Greek archai,
which could refer to civil rulers as well as to supernatural powers
that attempt to exercise evil dominion over men. In Ephesians 6:12, the
literal phrase the rulers of the darkness of this age could also be
translated as world rulers of this darkness. Clearly Paul is referring
to personal evil spirits, who exercise a degree of authority over the
world. Compare the phrase prince of this world, describing Satan, in
John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. The personality of the devil was also clear
to the revelator (Rev. 2:10; 12:10). − The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1044.

How
does the reality of the great controversy reveal itself in your own
life? In what ways do you sense the struggle? What’s the only way to be
defeated in this struggle when you have the promise of Christ’s victory
in your behalf?

WEDNESDAY October 31

Principalities and Powers: Part 2

As
we saw, the word translated as principalities could refer to world
rulers or supernatural powers that attempt to exercise control over
human life. Another Greek word that is used in conjunction with the
word principalities(archai) is the word stoicheia, which literally means elements, or elementary substances or principle. The contexts in which stoicheia is used reveal other aspects of this fallen world from which we have been redeemed by Christ’s victory on the cross.

Given
the context of what we are talking about, from what other things have
we been delivered through Jesus, other than literal evil powers? See Col. 2:8, 14, 20; Gal. 4:1-11, especially verses 3 and 9.

The
New Testament, especially Paul’s concept of the powers, seems to
connect spiritual beings to forces or powers that rule over human life
outside of Christ. These could be political, social, traditional, even
religious. The word stoicheia used in Galatians 4:3, 9 talks of
the system of heathenism from which the Christians in Galatia had been
delivered. It is used also in reference to aspects of the ancient
Jewish legal system. In Colossians 2:8, 20, it refers metaphorically to
worldly philosophical principles. In Isa. 24:21 the phrase the kings of
the earth upon the earth implies that the high ones that are on high
refers to Satan and the evil angels. Paul refers to Satan as the prince
of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), and to the unseen leaders of evil
as the rulers of the darkness of this world that abide in high places
(Eph. 6:12). In 1 Cor. 15:24-25 Paul refers to their subjugation by
Christ. Isaiah foresees the time when evil angels and evil men will all
suffer punishment (see Matt. 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4, 9; Rev. 20:10-15). − The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 198, 199.

In
short, the Bible teaches us that life is ruled by a series of powers,
both personal and impersonal. Without Christ, man is at the mercy of
these powers, in whatever form they come. The pressures of the present
moment, not to mention the fear of the future, as well as the demands
of life, society, tradition, and ideology, all can exert influences
that can separate a person from the Lord. But through Christ we have
been acquitted not only of our sins but also from our bondage to these
powers. We need to understand the nature of that victory and claim it
as our own.

Besides the supernatural
realities that exist in our world, with what other forces and
influences do you struggle, forces and powers that work against you and
your faith? First you need to identify what they are and then claim the
promises you have in Jesus in order to gain victory over them.

THURSDAY November 1

A Murderer Revealed

Christ came into the world for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil (Heb. 2:14).
This, He has done at the cross. But if Christ has been victorious over
the devil and principalities and powers, why are we still wrestling
with principalities and powers? Why is the devil still able to roam
about like a lion looking for prey to devour?

Study
Colossians 2:15 carefully. Look at the three different verbs that Paul
uses in order to describe what happened at the cross. How do we
understand what this means?

First, Christ spoiled (KJV) or disarmed (NASB, NKJV) the powers. The Greek word is apekduomai, which literally means to strip off one’s clothes. Here it may mean that the powers were stripped of their weapons.

What
weapons? Christ’s life of victory, culminating in Calvary, spelled the
doom of the devil. Satan’s disguise was torn away. His methods of
operation were laid open before the angels and the entire heavenly
universe. He had exposed his true colors. . . . By His cross Jesus
Christ stripped from the principalities and powers of darkness both
their robe of office and authority as princes of this world, and their
armor of strength in their warfare against right. − The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 205.

Christ made a shew . . . openly (KJV), made a public display (NASB) of the powers. How were the powers exposed publicly at the cross? What image of them became evident? See John 8:44.

The text also says that Christ triumphed over them. The Greek word is thriambeuo
and it implies celebration. There’s a great mystery here: Jesus hung on
the cross, suffering what appeared to be a terrible defeat, and yet theBible calls it a triumph? Whatever else this triumph included, it certainly helped to reveal Satan to be the murderer that Jesus said he was.

Because
of the Cross, a day is coming when the dominion of the powers will come
to a complete and definite end. That is when Christ puts an end to all
rule and all authority and power (1 Cor. 15:24, NKJV), and the last enemy to be destroyed will be death (1 Cor. 15:26). Until then, we have to endure, fighting the fight of faith in the strength of God that is offered to all who will claim it.

After
Christ’s death, Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His
administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the
heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding
the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the
sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted.
Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels
as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christs
brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the
defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the
heavenly world was broken. Yet Satan was not then destroyed. The angels
did not even then understand all that was involved in the great
controversy. The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed.
And for the sake of man, Satan’s existence must be continued. Man as
well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and
the prince of darkness. He must choose whom he will serve. − Ellen G.
White, The Desire of Ages, p. 761.

"A battle unseen by human eyes is being waged. The army of the Lord
is on the ground, seeking to save souls. Satan and his host are also at
work, trying in every possible way to deceive and destroy. . . . Day by
day the battle goes on. If our eyes could be opened to see the good and
evil agencies at work, there would be no trifling, no vanity, no
jesting or joking. If all would put on the whole armor of God and fight
manfully the battles of the Lord, victories would be gained that would
cause the kingdom of darkness to tremble." − Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 41.

As men seek to come into harmony with God, they will find that the
offense of the cross has not ceased. Principalities and powers and
wicked spirits in high places are arrayed against all who yield
obedience to the law of heaven. Therefore, so far from causing grief,
persecution should bring joy to the disciples of Christ, for it is an
evidence that they are following in the steps of their Master. − Ellen
G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings, pp. 29, 30.

Discussion Questions

Look at Hebrews 2:14-15 a little more closely. Death as an
agent of enslavement is clearly depicted here. Notice, too, the
emphasis on our fear of death. Why do we fear death so much? How does
the fear hold us in, as the text says, a kind of slavery? How should
the Christian, free in Christ, view death?

For some
people the whole idea of demonic forces is silly superstition; for
others, this fear dominates their entire life. How, as Christians, can
we strike the right balance in our understanding of the reality of
these powers, and yet at the same time understand what Christ has done
for us in the fight against them?

What are some examples of how evil forces control or influence various worldly powers?

How
does the great controversy worldview help us to understand the
continued existence of evil, even after Christ’s victory at the cross?

Inside Story ~ North American/Inter-American Divisions

The Breadcasters

A
boy stood on the bank of a lake tossing bread crumbs into the water.
Small minnows and larger fish came to the surface to grab the crumbs. I
thought of Ecclesiastes 11:1 which says, "Cast your bread upon the
waters, for after many days you will find it again" (NIV).

The
Church’s radio and television ministries are like that boy and the
bread. We are "breadcasters;" we cast the Bread of Life onto the waters
of the world and pray for "hungry fish."

Augustín Martinez
had been struggling for years to understand the book of Daniel. One
night he dreamed that a figure dressed in white told him that soon he
would understand these messages.

Augustín awoke and turned
on the radio. The first words he heard were, "As it says in
Daniel 7. . . ." The program was La Voz de la Esperanza, the
Spanish-language Voice of Hope. Augustin listened carefully and found
answers to many of his questions. In time he wrote to La Voz and said
that he, his wife, and his son had been baptized as a result of the
message he had heard on the radio.

Sometimes the bread of
life arrives just in time to save a desperate soul. Elena was a
teenager when she left home to find the love she had never known from
her father. What she found was heartache and AIDS. Too sick to live
alone, she returned to her mother, the only person who had loved her
unconditionally.

Maria’s heart broke to see her daughter
wasting away. She felt she had failed the one she loved most, and she
decided to end her daughter’s suffering and then kill herself. She went
to the dresser and got the gun she kept there. But as she walked toward
her daughter’s bedroom, the radio on the bureau turned itself on, and a
voice said, "Even through your suffering and pain, Jesus understands."

Shaken,
Maria sat down and listened as the speaker’s words brought comfort to
her suffering heart. At the end of the program the announcer gave a
phone number. Maria dialed it immediately.

A member of La
Voz staff visited Maria and Elena and comforted them with God’s
promises of eternal love. Elena died knowing she'd see Jesus again.
Maria was baptized. Maria is convinced that an angel turned on the
radio so she could hear the words of life and hope.

Your
mission offerings help support Christian media around the world. We may
never know this side of heaven what blessings will come from the bread
we cast upon the waters through our offerings and prayers, but God
knows.

Frank González is speaker-director of
La Voz de la Esperanza, a Spanish Adventist radio and television
ministry based in California.

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